Hawiyya Dance Co. perform at V&A for Refugee Week 2018

“Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing.” Arundhati Roy

“Imagination is more important than knowledge.” Albert Einstein

We live in uncertain times. The climate crisis, political division, rapid technological change and ongoing conflicts around the world mean the future is unclear, not least for people on the move.

This Refugee Week (15 – 21 June 2020), we’re inviting you to explore the theme of ‘Imagine’. Because when things feel stuck; when the old ways of doing things are no longer working, that’s what we need to do.

In the era of Covid-19, the call to imagine feels more important than ever.

‘To imagine’ means to picture something you can’t currently see. To step beyond the current moment, and perceive something different. Rather than being a flight away from reality, imagination is sometimes the best response to it – the only way to get us somewhere new.

Maybe you’ll imagine a future where we’ve found new ways to care for our planet, transcend borders or protect human life.

Or perhaps you’ll imagine what it’s like to have to leave your family behind, or what your hometown might look like to someone walking its streets for the first time.

You can get involved by holding or taking part in an online Refugee Week event or activity, or doing one of our Refugee Week 2020 Simple Acts.

However you respond, we hope you’ll join us in an act of collective imagining and help make Refugee Week 2020 the biggest, loudest and most creative Refugee Week yet.

Image: Hawiyya Dance Co. perform at V&A for Refugee Week 2018 (c) Marcia Chandra